How to place a first order, step by step

This is a procedure, not a lecture. It assumes a clean machine and that you can install software. It assumes nothing about Tor, Monero, or escrow. Every step ends with a clear condition. If you cannot finish one, stop, do not improvise, and come back to the relevant reference page here. The single most common way a first order goes wrong is a step skipped in a hurry, so the slow path is the fast path.

Step 1. Install Tor Browser

Go to torproject.org directly, download the build for your system, and verify it against the project's published checksum. Do not pull Tor Browser from a third-party mirror, do not install a wrapper someone posted on a forum, and do not treat a clearnet VPN as a substitute. Tor Browser is the supported door to every onion link on this index, and nothing else opens an onion address the way it does. Stop here when Tor Browser launches and reaches its connected state.

Step 2. Set the security slider to Safest

Open the shield menu in the top right and choose Safest. That setting turns off scripting by default, blocks remote fonts, and blocks WebGL. The storefronts on Anubis, Nexus, and Osiris all work without scripting, so Safest costs you nothing and closes a whole class of risk. Stop here when the shield reads Safest.

Step 3. Bookmark this index on the clearnet

Bookmark TorMarkets, not the onion you are about to open. The index refreshes its onion mirror set as the operators rotate it. A bookmarked onion link eventually falls out of rotation and leaves you stranded; a bookmarked directory stays current and always shows the working set. This one habit saves more grief than any other. Stop here when the index is in your bookmarks.

Step 4. Copy an onion address from the index

Anubis, Nexus, and Osiris each list their working mirrors. Use the copy control on the first one, paste into Tor Browser, and wait for the page. Copy rather than retype; a current onion link is fifty-six characters and the odds of typing it perfectly are poor. If a challenge page appears, complete it. Stop here when the marketplace home page loads.

Step 5. Create the account

The signup form wants a username, a password, an optional invite code (skip it if you have none), and a captcha. Use a username and password you have used nowhere else, and save both into a password manager immediately. Recovery is deliberately awkward on all three marketplaces, so the password manager is not optional. Stop here when you are logged in.

Step 6. Fund in Monero

All three default new accounts to Monero. The deposit screen shows a fresh address. Send from a Monero wallet you control. The deposits guide covers wallet choice and how to confirm the deposit landed. On Osiris the walletless model means your coins move toward the order rather than into a pooled balance, but the funding step on your side looks the same. Stop here when the account balance shows your deposit.

After the six steps

That is the whole procedure. If you can do all six, you can place an order. Before you do, read the escrow guide so you understand what protects the order, and the habits page for the small reflexes that keep things smooth. When you order, leave funds in escrow until the goods arrive and only then release.

Frequently asked

Do I need a VPN as well as Tor?

No. Tor Browser is the access path. A clearnet VPN is not a substitute and is not required on top.

Why bookmark the directory instead of the marketplace onion?

Because onion mirrors rotate. A bookmarked directory always points you at the current set; a bookmarked onion eventually dies.

What if a step blocks me?

Stop and read the reference page for that step rather than improvising. Each step here links to the page that covers it in full.